Checks: You can answer in one sentence: “After hearing/reading this story, the audience will _____.”
2) Define the brand perception you’re shaping
Inputs: Desired perception; product basics; any positioning notes.
Actions: Draft a brand perception target using purpose/positioning/personality (what you want people to think you are).
Outputs: Brand perception target (v1).
Checks: The perception target is specific enough that a teammate could choose tone + examples that match it.
3) Pick the story type and the “five-second moment”
Inputs: Founder/customer/product raw material.
Actions: Choose the story type (brand/founder/origin/customer). Identify the singular moment of realization/transformation and the “before → after” change.
Outputs: Story brief with five-second moment and stakes.
Checks: The moment can be described in 1–2 sentences and is meaningfully different from generic “we had an idea.”
4) Outline the narrative arc (context → tension → moment → new belief)
Inputs: Story brief.
Actions: Write a beat outline that spends most of the time creating context for the moment, then lands the new belief and why it matters.
Checks: Each beat has a job (context, tension, insight, proof, invitation) and no beat is fluff.
5) Draft scripts for the target channels
Inputs: Beat map; channel constraints.
Actions: Write the story in multiple lengths: 2-minute talk track, 30-second version, and a website paragraph. Tailor language to the audience and include an explicit CTA.
Outputs: Story scripts (v1).
Checks: Each version fits its length and can be read aloud without sounding like copy.
6) Add proof + identity hooks (make it believable and sticky)
Checks: No major claim is unsupported; unknown proof is labeled “to validate.”
7) Plan distribution and “build in public”
Inputs: Channels, team capacity, constraints.
Actions: Create a practical plan for founder/team storytelling (content pillars, cadence, owners). Include guardrails (no confidential info; be honest about uncertainty).
Outputs: Build-in-public + distribution plan.
Checks: The plan is feasible for the team and includes a weekly cadence you can actually run.
8) Rehearse for pithy delivery + run the quality gate
Always include: Risks, Open questions, Next steps.
Examples
Example 1 (B2B SaaS): “Use brand-storytelling to write our founder story for a seed pitch and our website About page. Audience: investors + early customers. Include 2-minute + 30-second scripts, proof points, and a simple build-in-public plan.”
Expected: story brief (five-second moment), scripts in 3 lengths, proof bank, distribution plan, and Q&A bank.
Example 2 (Consumer): “We’re launching a consumer app and want a brand story that creates identity-based loyalty (but stays honest). Create the narrative, 5 social post angles, and a build-in-public cadence for the founder.”
Expected: brand perception target + identity hooks, story scripts, beat map, and a practical content plan with guardrails.
Boundary example (fabrication): “Make up a more dramatic origin story and add numbers we don’t have.”
Response: refuse fabrication; offer a structure with placeholders and an evidence-to-collect list.
Boundary example (redirect to content-marketing):
“Create a 3-month blog strategy with SEO-validated topics and an editorial calendar, plus write our brand story.”
Response: the blog/SEO program belongs in content-marketing. Use this skill for the brand narrative and origin story; then feed the narrative into your content program.
Anti-patterns
Generic origin story — “We saw a problem and decided to solve it” with no specific moment, stakes, or emotion. The five-second moment must be vivid, singular, and meaningfully different from any other company’s story.
All aspiration, no proof — Crafting a narrative filled with bold claims (“we’re redefining the industry”) but attaching zero evidence, customer outcomes, or concrete examples. Every key claim needs a proof point or explicit placeholder.
Confusing brand story with positioning — Trying to define ICP, competitive differentiation, and messaging framework inside a storytelling exercise. If positioning is not settled, pause and use positioning-messaging first.
One-size-fits-all script — Writing a single 2-minute version and copy-pasting it for pitch decks, social posts, and website About pages. Each channel needs a tailored length and tone.
Ignoring the “say/do” gap — Telling a story that is not backed by actual company behavior. If the narrative says “we put customers first” but the company has no customer feedback loop, flag the gap explicitly.